A star drifting through the cosmos.
I'm never a fan of using covers that don't belong to me or weren't created specifically for me. The one I'd been using on The Moon Has Two Faces was one of those, and so I got a commission to replace it!
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Oh, this is really good. So much detail about the story conveyed in ways that are only obvious if you know what you're looking for. Brilliant work.
Ooh! Nice!
Looking forward to reading this once it's finished!
5405007
Yeah! I think it's pretty cute.
I thought I'd asked for there to be some silver tracery among the stars (and thorns below), but apparently I neglected that. It's fine, honestly - they're probably not visible at a distance! It's very dreamy, which I love.
Oh, nice. :)
5405019
You should! I'll make a post when it's finished.
5405260
Aye!
You know it's weird but I've just realised you've had the default avatar the entire time you've commented on my stuff - possibly since 2012. You should upgrade!
5405260
I agree with EE! I'll make you an avatar pic if you want custom one.
5405457
I was tracking it with that intention, even before the wonderful new cover!
5405457
Heh. I have indeed had this since 2012, though; why change now? :D
5405497
Oh! My, well, thank you very much for the offer; I'm rather honored. Even if I was going to change my avatar, though (and I'm not sure what I'd change it to, either, if I was), I, well, at the risk of straying into delicate territory, I'm not sure I wouldn't feel like I was taking advantage of you, if I just accepted your offer? I believe there's at least some gap in our politics, and I seem to recall you had a bit of a falling out with Georg a while back in which you mentioned you regretted doing some art for him as a result. I don't know that there'd be a problem between us if you had more information about me, but I'd rather not risk putting you in a position to have further regrets over such a generous gift, should it turn out in the future that the gap is one you're uncomfortable with. So, accepting such a gift without you conducting some sort of political inquiry (which sounds like it'd take a while and be a bit unpleasant even in the best case scenario where we find out we actually get along really well in that area) feels to me like I'd be procuring the art knowing you were possibly only doing it because of a false assumption; thus, possibly taking advantage of you.
Sorry; I hope this text, itself, isn't an issue, but I wasn't sure what else to say.
(Though in this specific case, yeah, probably this isn't the only roadblock, unless either I'm convinced to change my avatar (I suppose the two of you have planted the idea, at least, and I did just catch myself thinking about what I might want if I could get some art, as something more concrete to compare to the current state of affairs. :)) or get some sudden inspiration or something.)
5405535
Georg isn't just politically distant, he's also kind of a dick who is incredibly insensitive. I've never seen that from you.
I'd say go for it.
5405543
Well, thank you. :) I wouldn't have been doing that deliberately, as far as I'm imagining, but I'm glad to know that, at least as far as you've seen, I've not been doing it accidentally, either; I do worry about giving wrong impressions and the like.
The problem here, though, is that I haven't really gotten that impression of Georg? So the experience that does give that impression is clearly significantly different, and I don't think it's just a matter of exposure? Unless he behaves very very differently in different environments or something. Naturally, then, I question what is different, and differences in the values, views, and the like of the people having the experiences have seemed like likely candidates. For my part, at least, I hope you and iisaw have good and happy lives, but things are so polarized these days that I worry that even being for and against the same things, if I'm not enough for and against them, or for and against them in just the right ways, is potential cause for significant discord, should politics enter into a situation. And if I found out that Georg was that bad by my standards as well, then that raises some pointed questions about how I didn't notice and what else I might not be noticing about anyone on FIMFiction.
(Also, it wasn't only the thing with Georg that gave me the impression of a gap here, but that's the only specific thing I'm remembering at the moment... and I don't even remember the full context.)
"I'd say go for it."
I mean, again, I still don't actually have an "it" to go for anyway, but I suppose we'll see. :D
5405555
I blocked him a long time ago because he was being extremely dismissive of me and other people to the point of callousness, so I would find it difficult to locate the old stuff as it's buried in other people's blogs by now, but there were a lot of discussions where he was a right ass. I tend to give people a lot of chances, too.
5405556
I'm sorry that happened, whatever the particulars were, and I'm certainly not going to ask you to spend some of your time to dig through who knows how many old comments for content you disliked enough to block the comment-maker over in the first place. I also have no reason to doubt that that was your genuine experience. I'm just not sure what to do, given how far it is from mine, besides acknowledging that something doesn't add up and I should tread carefully around the uncertain area.
(I mean, I could try my own comment deep-dive... but given the volume and spread, the probability of success seems low, especially given that, in the event I still wasn't getting an impression more in line with yours, I wouldn't know whether I just hadn't seen the right things or whether it was indeed just different, rather than just based on different data.)
5405567
Anyway, as long as you aren't like, a right-wing prick who goes out of their way to shit on anyone left of center, I'm sure iisaw won't regret doing art for you. Georg pissed off a lot of people by his actions, not his beliefs.
5405572
"Anyway, as long as you aren't like, a right-wing prick who goes out of their way to shit on anyone left of center, I'm sure iisaw won't regret doing art for you."
Oh! Well, unless I have an extremely poor self-assessment, I think I can confidently say that that isn't the case. :)
Well, I still don't know how likely it is I'll decide to change avatar, but if I do (and iisaw agrees with your assessment of the situation, of course; I'm guessing you're right, but he's the only one who can say for certain what his stance here is), I'll try and keep this in mind. :)
Thank you for the help and clarifications!
5405543
This. I didn't block Georg because of his politics, I blocked him because of his snide condescension.
5405572
This, too.
5405577
All I can guarantee is that I won't hold anything against you if you express your views in a calm and reasonable manner.
The offer is still open. Hell, I'll even discuss politics with you, if you'd like! (Via PM, though. There's been enough public furor here as it is.) My politics aren't based in Left or Right dogma, but on what will be good for humanity as a whole, based on science and evidence. Which means I've infuriated a lot of Liberals and Progressives as well. Join the club, if you want!
As for an avatar, if you don't have a clear idea of what you want, how about a 3D version of the generic gray pony? Still anonymous-ish but clearly intentional as opposed to "default."
5405592
You will see the progressives are the only ones that actually care about science~
5405593
Collectively or individually? Because on certain issues, I think progressives eagerly ignore science they don't like. Not to the insane degree that conservatives tend to, but certainly in ways that are harmful to society and civilization. Agriculture, energy infrastructure/production, and religion/mysticism are areas that immediately leap to mind. Of course, this depends completely on your definition of "progressives." You may be talking about a very different set of people than I am when you use that term.
I'll make the same offer to you as I did to Reese. If you want to discuss any or all of that with me via PM, I'd be happy to, as long as it's civil. I will warn you that I tend to concentrate on the practical rather than the theoretical issues, though.
5405606
I think that there are individual progressives who do make errors on important things like genetic engineering and so forth, but I don't think that's a feature of progressivism so much as it is a feature of the peculiar histories of those specific issues and the way they've been sold to different populations.
For instance, many people with progressive views are vulnerable to what is essentially a giant corrupt marketing campaign to sell food labeled "organic" and against genetic engineering. Why? Because they are conscientious of health, food security, and the environment. They've been sold a bill of goods, but that's not a feature of progressivism, it's a feature of a complicated world where people aren't sufficiently taught critical thinking and are bombarded with aggressive messaging.
Please feel free to reach out to me - I'm happy to discuss specifics.
5405610
(Re-emphasis, mine.) Yes, I agree with that.
Yes! I think you've put your finger on the single greatest threat to human civilization right there. People, no matter their political leanings, tend to look for a simple and easy answer to problems. Power-hungry and mendacious individuals have demonized science and education in order to increase the effectiveness of their "messaging," which is selfishly designed to acquire power and money by promoting false (but simple and easy) solutions.* All the while, the serious problems are going uncorrected and are growing ever larger and more threatening.
------------------
* And, of course, there are the snake-oil salesmen who often cloak their nonsense in pseudo-scientific babble. The attacks and undermining of rationality come from all sides.
5405651
I think the problem I have with what you say, exactly, is one of scale.
"People on both sides can say bad things!" may be functionally true, but it risks false equivalence. The right says bad things with far greater frequency, societal harm, and institutional power. Sure, some people on the left will say dumb things, but is that really equivalent to the neo-nazis, the climate change deniers, and all the rest?
I might counter and say "Conservatism is an ideology that only serves the rich and the powerful against the poor and the weak by justifying hierarchies maintained with violence and money. Progressivism is an ideology that seeks to dismantle unjust hierarchies and bring the benefits of society to the greatest number of people. What funny ideas members of one side or the other have is frankly irrelevant to what the goal is, though the right is so much louder, crueler, and more violent that frankly it isn't a contest."
5405659
I didn't mean to give that impression of false equivalency. I am more than willing to point out the impracticalities/harmfulness of some progressive policies (as I see them), but that doesn't mean I think they are in any way as grave as the wholesale rejection of reality and eagerness for violence from the extreme right.
It's just that, to be intellectually honest, I have to assess things (all things) on the basis of evidence and science, not tribalism. I don't buy the argument that criticizing a group that one mostly supports "gives ammunition to the enemy." Correcting bad policy would deny ammunition as well as going further to improve the situation, and policy that can't be criticized will never change.
Aaaaaaanyway, we ought to take this to PM. I don't want to junk up your comments section.
)
(Too late!
But tomorrow... I've got to go start on the lemon tarts for desert!
5405692
I don't agree with that standpoint, either, aye. My only concern was the potential for equivalence - obviously, everyone needs criticism to keep on their toes. All it can do is make someone stronger.
5405592
Ah, okay, glad to hear it, for multiple reasons! Thanks! :D
And thank you for keeping the offer open; I'm still thinking about it. Thank you also for the suggestion of the 3D generic gray pony; that gives me at least one concrete idea to consider. :D
(I'm pretty sure I could make that one myself in one of the pony creators, though, so that one feels a bit like it'd be a waste of a gift from, you know, someone who can actually draw ponies. :D)
As for a political discussion, thank you for the offer there, too, buuut I think I'll pass. I can be gotten going on political discussion, but I don't generally seek them out. :)
And while I admittedly am now more curious, and reassured of the safety of having such a conversation with you, I'm also at this particular moment pretty low on time.
But hello, yes, fellow how-are-we-supposed-to-cram-all-sets-of-political-views-onto-a-1D-line-that's-silly person! :D
(Even if I don't end up taking you up on the art offer, I'm glad this conversation came up. :))
...Annnd looking at the conversation that followed in the comments, I'll just say: I hope those lemon tarts are/were/will be good! :)
Looks great, Ether! I'm happy this is getting the full treatment, this story certainly is keeping up with your best so far.
5405917
I do as well!
Do it do it do it
5406002
Thanks Mal! I appreciate that.
5405917
They were fantastic, thank you!
5406030
:D
Well, my thoughts have been continuing. :D
5406048
Excellent! :)
Regarding the avatar thing and the potential further crystalization of ideas, what sort of description would you be looking for from me?
5406520
Male/female, colors, and cutie mark (if you want a full body pic). I'd send you a sketch so you can make corrections to mane style or whatever before finalizing it. Or you could leave it entirely up to me (NOT recommended!)
5406650
Hm, thanks.
Though also tribe, I'm guessing?
(Still tossing some ideas around, aaaaand I admit I'm leaning closer towards this. :)
(This'd be easier if I had a preexisting avatar, but the closest thing that isn't a character is one from an old forum that was still kind of specific to that application, among other things, and I decided I didn't want to use that one for this. So, something new, and I want to be sure I get it sufficiently right...
Sorry about the delay. :)))
edit:
(I mean, something new unless I do decide to go with a character I've played, in which case it'd just be a matter of picking which one (and one's already the probable winner) and finalizing the details. But then that's that particular character, rather than something for general use for me here, so... eh. Still thinking.)
5406873
No worries. Take your time.
BTW, that other avatar I suggested? It's taken now!
5406877
Thanks. :)
Hah! :D
Nice. :)
edit:
Oh, though you didn't confirm that you'd also need tribe, I'll just assume that unless told that it's for some reason otherwise.
Sorry for not thinking to include this in the original reply, but someone distracted me with a joke. :)
5406893
Oh sure, tribe is pretty important. Unless it's a headshot of an non-unicorn... keep 'em guessing.
5407032
Heh, right*. :)
And thanks.
(*Though I'm kind of leaning towards a bat pony, in my currently thoughts, in which case even just a headshot would indeed have some differences. But the point and joke are taken. :D)
5407368
Vespers are scientifically the cutest.
5407377
I don't believe I've seen that study, but there does appear to be a weight of anecdotal evidence backing the conclusion up. :D
5407032
Well, you may, ah, notice that I've joined the Santa Hat Tradition (with my fabulous ""art""). And I haven't actually seen a way to return to the true default avatar. I only risked the change because I thought I was probably going to change avatar, buuut I guess I'm kind of committed now? :D
(Still haven't pinned down all the details for your offer, though.)
edit: ...It looks weird, seeing even just a slightly different avatar there. :D
edit2:
Oh, though never mind the "no way back" bit, sort of; it turns out that the base image I used for the behatted one wasn't overwritten as I'd thought, so if I save that I could go back with it to something looking like the default image, if not truly the default. But I'm still planning to take you up on your offer. :D
5409274
)
Cool! BTW, send me a PM when you're ready; we ought not to fill EE's comments section with off-topicness. (Too late!
5409336
Thanks. :)
(I think it did actually not come out all that badly, my behatted default avatar. :))
And, er. Yeees, that would probably be good. Sorry, EE! Thanks for hosting us! :D
5409342
5409336
Are you kidding?
After I started this, I deserve to see the full version.
5409363
5409363
Hah, well, I doubt I'll object. :D
(And thanks, by the way, for starting it. :))
I've been bad about keeping up with the story, but the new cover art looks lovely!
5411113
You should fix that!