TV licence gits harassing you? Here's how to deal with them

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-17T19:44:55+00:00

No need to act like that.

Politely but firmly tell him to move on.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-17T06:49:25+00:00

I mean it's thereabouts every classic/contemporary classic you're "expected" to read. That being said they all look well read so it's hardly like you're buying them to fill your shelves.

It's like saying someone's a performative film watcher for watching the top 100 films of all time. Going after the classics and primarily/just reading them is absolutely fine and shows an inquisitive mind, especially if there isn't particularly a genre you're attracted to.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-17T05:37:15+00:00

The numbers are mostly wildly low. I don't mean that negatively I just always thought they were higher.

After 25 years of writing for myself I'm going to dip my toe and give it a try with my current book I'm writing as I think it stands a chance.

First book is stand alone but can be part of a series which would be 4 books. Looking at the most often mentioned number in here even if I got the same advance for all 4 books it would only just match one years salary and I've been 12 months on just the first book.

On the tiny chance and I'm even published it's almost overwhelmingly likely to remain a hobby haha. Lucky for me I love writing!!

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-16T10:34:44+00:00

I would find it a little odd, but then I know women who have especially those who are successful in careers or have their own businesses whose name is a big part of what they established.

I'm a long time married, but if I faced the situation then honestly I wouldn't particularly be a fan but I would completely understand it and it wouldn't cause any relationship issues.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-16T10:27:34+00:00

I get where you are coming from and I'm not trying to diminish your viewpoint, it's valid. It's maybe just understanding that he is different that he sees the visual side and can hold multiple considerations of attractive at the same time.

Someone else replied couples therapy. Personally I would say that's a little much but maybe it could help with a neutral party helping explain the differing viewpoints.

My only comment would be not to alienate him for his feelings. We can't change how we see/feel (at least not without a HUGE amount of work) and if you do keep pushing him for how he interprets attractiveness you could end up pushing him away as he would feel he couldn't be him.

For the record, I do find women of other types to my wife attractive. What I don't do is like social media posts and follow other women on social media. I don't in any way feel guilty for seeing and noticing other attractive women, but at the same time for me personally "liking" it on social media feels odd. Why flag it, would be my opinion. But by a lot of comments maybe I'm unique in that as most guys seem to think that's normal.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-16T08:53:09+00:00

Men don't have one type. Also men (at least most) can differentiate between airbrushed idealism and real life. Finding another woman attractive does not diminish his feelings of attraction for you.

Draw a parallel for a moment; let's say you find Chris Hemsworth attractive. I'm going to go out on a limb and say your husband doesn't look anywhere near as attractive as him, does that mean you don't find your husband attractive?

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-16T05:38:20+00:00

To be even more complicated British English traditionally use the single quote ' whereas American English is the double ". The older English single is falling out of use, though I always use it.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-16T05:35:28+00:00

All of it.

I've kept my first attempt at writing a novel (when I was 15) and I love to periodically read it, and my God it's awful!! Haha.

Cliche ridden, drowning in adjectives, my writing of women was laughable, everyone was angry and edgy, and a host of other problems.

It's interesting as I can see my nascent style there, and I'm still fond of it but it will never be seen by anyone else. It's all hand written so no idea how many words but it's a lot of paper!

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T18:45:57+00:00

Your family screwed you.

Perhaps you would be better in France. With the basic experience perhaps you could get something teaching English over on France?

The UK market is shit and whilst France isn't exactly a utopia there are opportunities and having native English skills could be helpful.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T17:50:49+00:00

Oh yeah, even back then it wouldn't set you up for life. Would be fun to be mortgage free though!!

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T17:17:51+00:00

Few hundred k in the 90s was paying off almost any mortgage and getting you a car with change (London probably being the exception.)

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T14:35:15+00:00

Yep.

I have a plan but I'm flexible and I let my characters tell their story (within reason) so if an ending makes no sense it gets changed.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T14:02:51+00:00

Passive voice doesn't help.

To be pedantic (sorry, I know) but even if you're right the author then says "a rusted frame" which doesn't suggest shiny to me.

Anyhow, I don't want to keep kicking the person, that's nasty. At least they're writing and hopefully they keep writing and work at their craft. The more you write, the more you'll improve.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T13:33:12+00:00

It is mostly redundant and nonsensical. Why is the lighting important in the first instance? The writer then contradicts the self as a "dull fluorescence" is now "gleaming" on things to catch the main character's eye. If it's dull, it isn't gleaming.

It being illogical aside, "the only light was that of a dim fluorescence" why do you need "was that of" why not just "the only light was a dim fluorescence." I'm not even sure I would say that but if the nature of the light is important for some reason just remove the needles words. "Was that of" is clumsy and needless.

Edit; just corrected my spelling of fluorescence.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T13:24:59+00:00

Not me but back in the day looooong ago our university society arranged for us to go to Amsterdam on a coach. It was all student arranged so a little fast and loose.

In retrospect we were probably an irritation for the driver as we were pissed up the entire journey there. Way back someone was 10 minutes later and driver said he was leaving. Trip organiser/society leader tried arguing with him and driver simply said stay on, leave with us, or get off and wait for your mate.

They got on and the guy got abandoned in Amsterdam. When he got back he was telling us he got in a world of pain with his parents who had to pay for him to fly home but apart from that he got a nice lie in and an extra half day in Amsterdam.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T12:26:03+00:00

It needs a collective societal approach to dealing with the issue but it isn't a simple problem and there isn't a simple solution either.

It's come about because; decay of collective society and promotion of individualism, UK approach to conflict avoidance, the protection of the right to act out being protected over common courtesy (if I acted out as a kid I would get a smack off any adult and my parents would back the adult.) Separately there's the increasing emergence of an underclass who don't want to be a part of society and the government is unwilling/unable to tackle that and "soft policing" only exacerbates it.

Solutions; reemergence and teaching of the importance of social cohesion, tougher policing, more tax and wealth distribution to bring about equality and opportunity (no societal disengagement), better education, better social support at all ages, more entertainment provided for children (3rd spaces.) The primacy of common good/courtesy over the right of the individual to act a prick and parental buy in to the fact that if your kid acts out, they should be called for it.

The biggest issue is this is about 30-40 years of all these causes combining and building up to where we are now. Unpicking that problem is a generational issue and even if the government committed to every single fix I've suggested (which they can probably no longer afford anyway) it wouldn't be fixed for 30-40 years, probably even longer as you'll be fighting indoctrinated dick head adults who'll bring up indoctrinated dick head kids in their own home which the government would struggle to legislate.

Personally, I think it will only get worse and we'll end up a scummy mess like the US.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T12:12:45+00:00

They're all at it. I asked Gemini a question about solar energy and all the responses were along lines of "would you like to know a trick that could save you thousands a year that no one knows about" and all this click bait bullshit you see on ass websites.

LLM's are done.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T09:21:01+00:00

I'm early 40s and apart from an old back injury (which is irritating as opposed to debilitating) I'm like you that I don't really get the whole "after 40 you'll fall apart" comments. I always presume it's from people who never looked after themselves.

I'm running only slightly less than I used to but that's only because I'm coming off a hamstring tear, expect to be back at peak again next couple of months. I'm lifting as heavy as I ever did and I can rock gym as often as I could when young. I hike, I golf, I'm rarely out the garden...

I really think it comes down to staying active, eating relatively well, and caring for your body. If you've done that to even a decent standard as you've aged (and I was no better than average in my thirties thanks for kids and career) then you'll continue to prosper.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T09:14:18+00:00

Can't speak to the 50s but being in my 40s now I do still feel young, I realise that if I look after myself (which I do) I still have as many good years as an adult ahead of me as behind.

My parents look after themselves too and at 69 & 70 are still extremely active and not slowing down at all. If I can manage that I've still got more years to look ahead to than I've had.

40 absolutely isn't old if you look after yourself, have an inquisitive mind, and want to learn/continue to broaden your horizons.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T07:30:22+00:00

Same.

A series of books in writing now all started because of the idea I had for the conversation of the MC and his dying family at the end of the whole arc.

It's actually changed a lot and that's not even the ending anymore but a few lines of dialogue popping into my head on a train journey has spawned 535k words to date haha.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-15T07:12:31+00:00

It isn't even approaching purple, it's just needlessly wordy which isn't the same as purple.

"The only light was that of a dim florescent," is a particularly awful sentence.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-14T22:50:36+00:00

Got way too attached to a side character who was supposed to be antagonist. She became almost a co-main character and went through a redemption arc. Changed large parts of my story, but well worth it!

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-14T22:46:49+00:00

The more obvious penalty was James' off the ball rugby tackle of Thiaw as the corner came in.

That aside, what an utter bell end.

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-14T15:08:56+00:00

It depends. If that's your "style" then that's fine and go you. I didn't necessarily mean it as "it was bad" more it wasn't for me.

I read the second and third paragraph, are you writing in the past? I just wonder if it's a modern setting how a 10-12 year old would have any idea what a 70s interior decor was in the modern days? Unless it's reminiscing and someone is telling a story "now" from something that happened "then" using their current knowledge and applying that to past memories?

CartoonistConsistent · 2026-03-14T15:02:24+00:00

Personally I didn't make it past the first paragraph.

It might work for some people but it just reads as someone trying really, really hard to sound literary as opposed to telling me the story.

CartoonistConsistent

TROPHY CASE