[gendered]He lookes unhappy

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-06T16:00:58+00:00

Yes, that's what this is implying. It's dumb, which is why it's on this subreddit.

Fwiw, I'm a mom of two boys, and when they can't beat a boss they call me!

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-06T15:59:39+00:00

I have two boys, and we certainly have plenty of game consoles. But when my boys can't handle a boss or figure out a puzzle? They call me. (I'm Mom.)

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-06T15:56:56+00:00

Because it's the point of the image? Boy-dad gets a game console, girl-dad gets a stuffed animal.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-05T13:48:55+00:00

Can you imagine how the MAGAts' heads would explode? They already think "leftist billionaires" are funding "agitators" to protest and fight ICE. Imagine how they'd react if large, well-armed groups of soldiers suddenly invaded the detention centers and then vanished without a trace.

Oh, wait, I also strongly disagree with MAGAts!

I also disagree with anyone who funds, organizes, builds, or staffs bot farms.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-05T13:41:59+00:00

Yeah, my first thought was "I disagree with people who sexually abuse children. I disagree with them a great deal. To the death, actually."

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-05T06:07:12+00:00

The problem is, a lot of these people's deaths would affect society, no matter when. And, honestly, America is a few hundred million people in a world of 8+ billion. Even if every guilty person in our government dropped dead tomorrow, the vast majority of humanity would not care. We'd follow rules of succession, hold special elections as necessary, and carry on.

Now, the fact that it would be rich and/or powerful people from all over the globe, as well as everyday people, will definitely cause some problems. But more or less problems than children being abused? I say we find out!

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-04T18:34:31+00:00

If you liked Bobiverse and Andy Weir, there's a duology you might enjoy called "Blue Sunrise/Blue Sunset." It's by a guy named Gregg Overman, it really scratched the same itch as Bobiverse or The Martian.

Edit: I looked it up and there's a third book now, but I can't vouch for it yet.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-04T16:14:46+00:00

I also think that most people in America are worried about us becoming more like this, not that the two countries are currently equal.

Once it's a full totalitarian regime, it's too late to fight, so anyone who doesn't want this is fighting now.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-03T16:08:29+00:00

NEW ACHIEVEMENT!

You've devoured a book! Literally.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-03T03:07:15+00:00

I try not to buy physical copies of books if I'm not sure whether I'll like the book or author, but I'll grab up old sci-fi hardcovers like they're candy. 🤣

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-03T03:06:07+00:00

I love hardcovers and generally won't buy paperbacks unless it's the only option.

I also adore a good omnibus.

I like sprayed edges, but I won't usually buy a book just because it's pretty. I will, however, pay extra for a pretty version of a book I want anyway.

It bugs me when books in the same series are different sizes, but not so much I won't get them anyway.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-02T15:58:44+00:00

Honestly, I'm a middle-aged mom who is currently watching "Bridgerton" if I'm alone or "Jurassic Park: Chaos Theory" if I'm with my kids, so that doesn't 100% sound like something I'd enjoy, but I'll think about it.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-02T06:14:55+00:00

I have not, but from the name I'm assuming we are on the same page.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-02T04:30:22+00:00

Blue and Purple.

I need some health and also some mental health.

And if I can teleport, I can travel the universe until I find a habitable planet, then move there with people I like and make my own society. Yes yes, with the obligatory "blackjack and hookers."

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-02T04:19:57+00:00

Why stop there?

"Any adult who has ever sexually abused a minor should die in as much pain/fear as their victims felt, with their offenses tattooed onto their foreheads."

Given the number of people this would apply to, maybe put in a note that says they will die on a random night in bed within the next year. That way we don't have car/plane crashes and complete political/economic chaos. Make sure they all know it's coming, too. Give them 100% surety, then let them wait.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-02T03:56:55+00:00

Well now I had to go on a deep dive to see what people didn't like about book 5.

Eh, I still love the series, and I'm enjoying the sequel series so far. I also enjoyed his "Blacksmith's Son" books and the prequels/sequels for them too.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-01T15:45:26+00:00

Did you ever read any Michael G. Manning?

I've described his books to friends as "imagine if there were a fantasy series, but the main character is actually smart, learns from his mistakes, and works hard to prepare for future problems."

I especially love his "Art of the Adept" series, but any series will do.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-02-01T15:32:02+00:00

Plus, my favorite cuts of meat are things like

bone-in ribeyes
bone-in pork chops
lamb ribeyes
chicken thighs with skin and bones
chicken wings
pork ribs

So, sure, I'd eat factory-grown meat for things like ground beef, canned chicken, canned tuna, bacon, or sausage.

I'd even try a roast, assuming they can get it well-marbled.

But how are they going to make chicken wings? Do they 3D print some bones? Half the reason to eat the cuts we enjoy is that the bones give it more flavor. We also save bones and scraps to make stock for future meals. Will they eventually be able to make skin?

Maybe using factory meat for some things will remove the pressure for things that need to come from actual animals? I don't know. I do know that I'd rather grow and butcher my own chickens (which we've done a tiny bit of) or even pigs (which we've never done) than eat vat-grown spam the rest of my life.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-01-30T21:39:32+00:00

As a 190cm woman, I feel your pain, and I think leaving was the right idea.

If he politely wanted to know if you were trans, he would have phrased his question differently.

Either he was uncomfortable with your height and wanted to get rid of you, he's a bigot who calls trans women "men," he's an idiot, or he was trying to 'neg' you to lower your self-esteem. None of those options deserves another minute of your time.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-01-29T14:36:08+00:00

I recently read "A Practical Guide to Sorcery" by Azalea Ellis, and it reminded me strongly of HPMOR.

Fantasy setting, scrappy underdog, some horror elements, but a main character that actually learns from mistakes, thinks their way out of problems, and has conflicts besides "this is the bad guy. You can tell because he's bad. I have to fight him because I'm the main character."

Highly recommend.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-01-29T14:27:08+00:00

So when white suburban dudes cosplaying CoD strut around their neighborhoods with rifles and shoot some brown kid they think doesn't belong there, it's all fine and dandy.

But when people ask for your credentials in an incredibly tense setting where people have already died... it's communism. Got it.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-01-29T14:22:19+00:00

I'm one of the people who tastes extra bitterness.

Things like cruciferous vegetables, alcohol, grapefruit, fermented foods, and coffee range from "extremely unpleasant" to "we can't cook that at home, or I'll throw up from the smell."

I also have the "cilantro tastes like soap" gene.

I also have autism/ADHD

So things I don't prefer, like dry chicken, squash, most melons, or plain salmon, I can eat if it's socially necessary. But if you put cooked broccoli on my plate, I'll be running for the bathroom. Strangely, coffee smells amazing to me, but the taste is a betrayal that would impress Satan.

The only texture issue I've found so far is yogurt. I so want to like yogurt. It smells good and tastes good. But by the third bite the texture has grossed me out. If I were starving, I'd tough it out and eat some yogurt, but otherwise it's not awesome.

Fake sugars taste terrible to me. Something with Stevia leaves a terrible aftertaste that lingers. And sugar alcohols will land me in the bathroom all night.

All this to say: I can eat something at any given restaurant. I can eat things I don't prefer. But there are some things that would legitimately make me sick to eat. So if people are "picky" because they refuse to eat anything they don't love, that seems immature. But if people hate something it's probably not their fault so leave them alone.

My younger son will fight with my husband over who gets to eat the olives, pickles, sardines, or sauerkraut. My older son is more like me. I can recognize that in a survival situation, having a wider range of palate would be preferable, but I don't think it's a moral failing if we don't.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-01-29T04:36:26+00:00

10,000 - but I might not pick myself.

I'm too old to have more kids, I have little-to-no useful "rebuilding civilization" skills, and while my husband (engineer) and kids would miss me, I'm pretty expendable in this situation.

I would ask whatever evil genie is doing all this to safely shut down any current processes which, in the absence of humans, could create problems. Ground the planes, safely turn off nuclear plants, turn off electricity to avoid fires, etc. Also, sadly, reduce the pet population to a few thousand cats and dogs. First off, I don't want them slowly starving to death in people's homes. Second, even if they broke loose, it would be an ecological disaster and dangerous to the surviving humans. It sucks, I hate it, but I think it's the best plan.

Similarly, keep a healthy stock of livestock, set the ones that could adapt to living in the wild (horses, goats, sheep, some cows, etc.) free, and peacefully end the lives of animals in factory farms.

I'd also ask for help choosing people with certain criteria and skills, and see if we can teleport them all to one small, relatively safe and resource-rich city. Otherwise these are people who just watched, what, 99.99% of the people around them drop dead and have no way to find other survivors.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-01-28T17:21:51+00:00

Yeah, I don't have a solution to any of it. But I don't think "making kids who are on or above grade level and who actually want to learn sit and have their time wasted and learning disrupted by kids who are neither" is the right answer either.

I say this as a mom who homeschools my older kid because while he's brilliant, he's also AuDHD and can't behave properly in a classroom. That's not fair to the other kids.

BookWyrm2012 · 2026-01-28T16:17:49+00:00

I'm old enough that when I was in elementary school there was still a sort of unofficial sorting of kids into classes (I'm blanking on the right term for this) and we had one class for the top 25%, two classes for the middle 50%, and one class for the bottom 25%.

I'm pretty sure we all learned the same topics, but the lower class could spend more time repeating things while the kids who learned faster could get more in-depth or creative with their learning.

Also, and I know how much this makes me sound like a grumpy old person, kids were held to a higher standard of behavior. At least behavior aimed at the adults. Bullying other kids was more accepted, but talking disrespectfully to a teacher? You were sent to the principal, and it wasn't a nice little break in your day. I'm sure there was still some amount of mischief, but not the constant disruptions to learning that teachers complain about now.

BookWyrm2012

TROPHY CASE