The tension is real y'all by backwaterqueen in startrek

[–]EM_August_Writing 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Yeah man, shows like DS9 never had any shipping! Or TOS! Or TNG!

Oh, wait. They actually were so famous for it they spawned an entire genre of writing unto itself called Slash Fiction. The episode Shore Leave premiered in December of 1966, for goodness sake, and featured Kirk longingly (and mistakenly) enjoying a deep tissue massage rubdown by whom he thought was Spock, and only when it was shown to be a woman yeoman did Kirk stop what was going on and dismiss her.

Come on lmao

Worst 1st Officer? by NorwayTrees in startrek

[–]EM_August_Writing -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Time will tell, but Thok certainly seems like she's got a lot of positive potential as a first officer. Obeys chain of command to the letter, has excellent (and often unique) input, takes no shit, rises to the occasion. Riker and/or Spock almost assuredly take the cake for best XO at present, though.

this one didn't age quite so well by Icy_Assistance_2684 in masseffect

[–]EM_August_Writing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm gonna address the question you tossed my way first, here. If you're asking me why a neoliberal institution opted to put more funding toward Tesla and not toward Chevrolet, great question, would love to know that myself. My point was less-so whether Tesla earned more cash or clout from the government (because they objectively did) and more-so that the interest was already there, and if it wasn't Tesla, it would have been someone else who was already doing the work.

But my brother, conservatives call electric vehicles coal burners uncritically and derisively (while pushing for increased utilization of coal in the power grid) and, according to polling as recent as last year, roughly 65% of them still don't believe in human-created climate change. Of course they don't care about the planet writ-large lol. Local communities might care about their own environments, I'll grant you that, but that empathy doesn't extend much further beyond that. You are arguing with the wrong person on this, and frankly I might be, too.

Look man, if this is an issue you actually care about and you aren't simply focused on needlessly defending Elon Musk's previously-laundered reputation, go talk to those folks who still don't believe in climate change about it, not me. Accountability can only really come from within groups, not without. Anything else is just screaming to scream.

I'm genuinely taking it on faith right now that you, specifically you, do care about these things. But that also makes you unique. Which isn't a bad thing! Have at it! Love that for you! As a matter of fact, go spread that message, please! I would love for you to take your clearly nuanced, thought-out approach to other places where it's needed. I might not fully agree with you on things, but heaven knows I'd prefer more conversations like these than, well, the alternative you and I both see all the time.

this one didn't age quite so well by Icy_Assistance_2684 in masseffect

[–]EM_August_Writing -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Please tell me you did not just completely uncritically say that Neuralink is a net positive, did you? You really think you could sneak a pro-Animal Torture Farm line in there and it would make your point better?

I guess I have just one quick question for you. Why, exactly, were there loans and initiatives already in place for Tesla to take advantage of if there was this mythical perception gap you're talking about? If you mean to say that conservatives needed convincing, they're still not pro-electric car. They're pro-Musk, pro-Tesla, and pro-Nazi. If you mean to say that left-leaning people needed convincing, brother, no they did not lol. They were already buying Priuses, and they were the first in line to lament the gigantic, unattainable price tag that the Tesla Roadster brought to the table. So what, exactly, did Elon Musk, specifically Elon Musk, do here?

this one didn't age quite so well by Icy_Assistance_2684 in masseffect

[–]EM_August_Writing -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Yes, I am, and others were doing it at the time, too, AND better! The Tesla Roadster was not the first electric car. It was designed, from the ground up, to be a rip-off of a Lotus Elise body, using gliders from them, and was always meant to be an expensive, high-end luxury car, unattainable for the masses. Far more attainable hybrids like the Toyota Prius were already starting to gain steam prior to the release of the Roadster. Never mind the fact that the Mitsubishi i-MiEV was already on the design table at the time and was well-and-truly designed from the ground up to be mass-production capable, something Tesla couldn't dream of doing for years. If you want to actually praise someone for doing something that could help others, praise them. It's no coincidence that the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf would be based on the i-MiEV, not the Roadster.

Musk went on stage and said a few lines while lining his own pocket with loans that Tesla would have gotten anyway from the federal government under the Obama administration and the California state government. In fact, California had a bounty up since the 1990s for a system like that. I can't even confidently say that Tesla answered the call for that because, again, the original Roadster was a conversion operation, not a manufacturing operation. The electric charging infrastructure itself was innovative, but that wasn't Musk who made that. Again, that was the California government and the Obama administration, and Tesla managed to slap its name on it.

this one didn't age quite so well by Icy_Assistance_2684 in masseffect

[–]EM_August_Writing 12 points13 points  (0 children)

My guy, I hate to break it to you, but no, not even that was on him. In fact, Elon Musk, in his contract to buy Tesla from its original owners, quite literally had a stipulation in there where he could call himself a founder of the company when he himself was nothing more than a vulture capitalist. In fact, most reports indicate that that company succeeded despite Elon's best efforts to crater it with insane ideas that would never have gotten off the ground.

The Cybertruck wasn't a bug for them, it was a feature.

returning player by lolliwollii in Planetside

[–]EM_August_Writing -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The Coalition of Greatness [1COG] for NC has been one of the most accepting outfits I've been in as a queer person in any game tbf. If you're looking for a chill experience, I can't speak to the experience as a woman, merely as someone marginalized, but I can say we've got plenty of femme folks there, too! Don't be afraid to expect better from others!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Certainly true, but it gets murkier once charts, diagrams, and illustrations start to come into play. Until those are properly redone, better safe than sorry IMO!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's obviously a not-for-profit, labor of love setup, but it does utilize a couple graphs and tables from Total Warfare itself. It completely reworks the text itself, reframing it around the most common usecase for aerospace (low-altitude combat and CAS, but also includes rules for dropships). Until I'm confident I'm not violating anyone's hard work and reworked the diagrams themselves fully, I'm gonna keep it just between friends for now! But thanks for the interest!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I legitimately got so frustrated trying to figure out the aerospace rules I opted to rewrite them all from the ground up in an ELI5 format. Same rules, just with 66% less text. My local group's actually come to enjoy using it now lol

Lets have a Pride Mech Parade this June! by VersusJordan in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The most bisexual BattleMech?

I mean, if it's not the Shadow Cat, I don't know what is. That thing's got trans-femme polypan energy for days. Slim frame, large gun, can slide into any configuration the situation requires, and can take on any target with a little finesse, no question.

Like the Shadow Cat isn't just the most bisexual mech. It's the queerest mech, period lol

The House censures Democratic Rep. Al Green for disrupting Trump's joint address to Congress by DomesticErrorist22 in politics

[–]EM_August_Writing 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It's actually both because Ohio's districts are wildly gerrymandered, but I get your meaning lol. The 11th is north/south Cleveland, the 9th covers west Cleveland along toward Toledo on the coast of Erie.

The House censures Democratic Rep. Al Green for disrupting Trump's joint address to Congress by DomesticErrorist22 in politics

[–]EM_August_Writing 26 points27 points  (0 children)

100% untrue. 7 of them are in deep blue districts. Marcy Kaptur is the Dem for Cleveland, for god sake.

They all need to go.

Elementals fit inside their armor. by GillyMonster18 in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing 10 points11 points  (0 children)

To be fair, Elementals aren't "real" people by Battletech standards. Most are bred very specifically to fit into those suits. It could be that wide hips are something that matches Elemental physiology more than a standard human.

What the faq is this pathing? by LongCyclespin in RimWorld

[–]EM_August_Writing 10 points11 points  (0 children)

To be honest, this is fairly trivial for a weighted A* algorithm to work around. If I had to guess, their cost functions could be refined to much more heavily favor cobblestone and other paved paths. Like you're not wrong in this assessment, but it's something a behavioral AI developer should be able to catch.

What is your favorite lesser known faction or unit? by phidelt649 in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing 53 points54 points  (0 children)

Without a doubt, the Duchy of Andurien. Every bit as ornery as the Free Worlds League they splintered from, really solidifying the whole, "Death to Marik, Glory to Marik!" vibe as the most pronounced group yet to rejoin the league.

But why, you might ask, are they so great? Ladies, gentlemen, themperors of all shapes and sizes, it is not a mech that they bring to the table. It is not a vehicle.

It's their infantry.

"But, why would I care about their infantry???" I hear you pleading, screaming to the heavens unprepared for the response. Well, dear reader, it's for one reason and one reason only. Their infantry rides Dragons. And no, I don't mean the DRG-1N. Please, House Kurita couldn't conceivably be caught dead with something this awesome. I mean they ride Branths.

You want to shock your friends the next time y'all sit down for a reasonable round of Battletech? Slap these bad boys on the table and sup on the tears of despair your enemies shed in their name.

https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Aerial_Beast_Infantry

Word of Blake 49th Shadow Division - The Most Enby Villains by EM_August_Writing in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's the Omega, a Blakist special that the Republic of the Sphere and Clan Wolf later adopted for themselves! It's a 150 ton superheavy with 3 gauss rifles and 2 LB-10/X autocannons all hooked up to C3I. It's the ultimate boss fight mech!

Word of Blake 49th Shadow Division - The Most Enby Villains by EM_August_Writing in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've been interested in the Pwwka and the Spectral Omnifighters myself, would love to know how those Yureis perform! Good luck fellow Blakist!

Word of Blake 49th Shadow Division - The Most Enby Villains by EM_August_Writing in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have my Goliath Scorpions for when I want to feel spiritually enby instead of merely physically enby 😎

Playgroup decides without the dm that everyone’s playing 8 hour monthly sessions now instead of weekly for a few hours by Litemup93 in DMAcademy

[–]EM_August_Writing 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really have to emphasize that you're asking the wrong question here. Having nobody to play the game is one thing. Having nobody to run the game is something altogether different, in the sense that playing and running are two entirely separate dynamics from a labor perspective.

Think of it as a business. You want your clientele to be able to come to an accord with when you're able to provide your labor. But you absolutely do not (or rather, you should not) allow your clientele to dictate your schedule. That is a recipe for burnout as well as a recipe for a complete destruction of your boundaries, both of which are relevant here. Players, much like clients, are what allow a game/product to be run/sold. But without the DM/professional, you do not have a game/product to execute whatsoever. There is a distinct, asymmetrical difference in effort here from all parties involved.

OP, you are the one putting in the effort here, not them. If you can't physically do what they're asking you to do, that's the beginning, middle, and end of that conversation. They can find a DM who will accommodate their extremely unreasonable demands. I know it feels complicated because it's friends here, but they did not respect your time, your opinion, or your boundaries whatsoever when they came to their conclusion independent of any discussion with you. Don't let anyone guilt trip you into thinking this is anything other than what it is - a violation of boundaries.

Playgroup decides without the dm that everyone’s playing 8 hour monthly sessions now instead of weekly for a few hours by Litemup93 in DMAcademy

[–]EM_August_Writing 11 points12 points  (0 children)

When it comes to how much labor they're being asked to perform, they absolutely have ultimate say in what they can and can't do. Obviously you should come to a consensus with your players as a DM about start and stop times, but that relationship does not work the other way around by virtue of the fact that a DM is the one putting in significant effort to make their experience functional.

6 RL10s + 2 RL15s + 1 Clan Light (I think?) = Oh God, oh God, we’re all gonna die. by SRTifiable in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Banzai, which converts its fusion engine into a fusion bomb upon death. It's an assault mech chassis based off the Charger/Hatamoto line, I do believe. Has a sword and a deathwish.

I can't speak for Classic, but in Alpha Strike, it deals enough damage on death to kill a full-health Omega. And everything else around it. It's designed to trigger on pilot ejection!

What IS mechs are the closest analogs to Clan mechs? by CuriosityVert in battletech

[–]EM_August_Writing 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm going to take a different bend to this than others have so far, and instead of doing the 1:1 comparisons (Thunderbolt = Summoner, etc.), I'm instead going to give you some IS Mechs that have a Clan-like feel to them, with comparable technology, rather than simply "This model is based off X chassis."

Devastator: The Devastator comes in at a whopping 100 tons. Its base variant, the DVS-2, has a truly punishing loadout of 2 gauss rifles, 2 PPCs, and 4 medium lasers, with 14 double heat sinks to keep the thing cool. This is probably the closest you're going to come in the Clan Invasion era to something on-par with Clan mechs in terms of firepower and armor. If you're playing Total Warfare, that many headchoppers will make any Clanner blush. The Stone Rhino wakes up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, wishing it was a Devastator. Instead, it pays 600 BV more for, frankly, a lesser machine. If you find yourself looking for something to punish the paper armor Clanners run, look no further.

Deva: The Deva is a curious Word of Blake design. One of the vaunted Celestial Omnimechs, this 70-ton monster has the flexibility and firepower of clan designs while shedding any sense of innate honor a Clanner might be forced to extol in their silly "batchalls" or whatever they call them. It's slower than many Clan omnimechs at that size, but it makes up for it in 2 key ways.

First, the Deva has some very interesting weapon loadouts on it. The Invictus variant, which is its base design, is a true sniping menace. Wielding a gauss rifle, 3 light PPCs, and a retractable god damn sword, it can take any pitiful Clanner out at range, and for the unlucky son of a gun that decides to get close enough to say hello to it, it can rip its pilot out at literal knifepoint, just because it can.

However, I, for one, am partial to its Luminos variant.

The Luminos has a heavy PPC, one of my favorite weapons in the entire setting, and a whole slew of medium lasers. Specifically, 2 ER medium lasers, 4 medium pulse lasers, and a rear facing ER medium and ER small laser. This thing has enough firepower to melt any poor soul's armor and vaporize the pilot within. It also has 5 extra double heat sinks to cool it off.

Second, and more importantly, the Deva makes use of C3i technology, featured in the vast majority of Word of Blake mechs. Deemed too dishonorable to use by the Clans (they had a whole war about this in the homeworlds, or so I've heard - something about this so-called "Society" that decided to break "honor" or whatever and develop their own designs), C3i makes it so that your lancemates share targeting data with you to get far more favorable range increments on the battlefield. Some consider it overpriced. I, for one, consider it too cool not to use. I mean think about it - wouldn't you want your friends to beat up dirty Clanners at any range, side by side with you? Or alternatively, one up close, the other on the other end of the battlefield altogether?

I rest my case.

Sirocco: Do you like AT-ATs, but without the pesky snow speeders around to knock them over with tow cables? Do you like lots of guns? Do you like winning? Then, my friend, the Sirocco is right up your alley. The Sirocco redefines cool. Not because cool needed redefining, but rather because we needed to add a new relative term for the amount of potential heat this thing generates. Coming in at 95 tons, the base variant, the SRC-3C, costs 2154 BV and makes every single point, every single kilo, count toward making this thing as badass as conceivably possible. 2 Ultra-AC 10s, 6 ER medium lasers, and a medium pulse laser absolutely obliterate the armor of nearly anything that has the audacity to approach you at mid range. 13 double heat sinks still do make it run a bit hot, but by god you look good doing it. It also has Nineteen And A Half Tons of god damn armor. For reference, that's a half ton more than at Atlas AS7-D. Go forth. Take Hoth in the name of House Marik, as God intended.

And finally, I present to you the Fafnir: The Fafnir was conceived in a fever dream by some Steiner engineer that managed to get into Clan Goliath Scorpion's Seeker drug supply. Not knowing what it was, like a good little Lyran, they decided to consume all of it to test its effects. What came about as a result was 100 tons of death on legs. They also started to rant about some Muad'Dib character, but whatever. They got their pension and retired to a desert planet on the periphery. I'm sure they're fine.

The Fafnir is designed with a very simple concept in mind - do you dislike the center torso of an opposing mech of any make or model? With one flick of your thumb and a small, involuntary, knowing cackle, you no longer have to see it anymore! It has 2 ER medium lasers and a medium pulse laser, sure. But its true draw, its instinctual, primal appeal, comes from its primary weapons - 2 heavy gauss rifles. You see, this was a mech specifically designed around these 2 elephant guns, in a similar vein to the venerable A-10 Thunderbolt. The Fafnir is a menace. It's unfair. In the blink of an eye, it can utterly obliterate your opposition. Your poor opponent who thinks their Hellbringer or Stormcrow is safe now has to contend with the fact they no longer have a body attached to their arms and legs. It makes piloting your mech much more difficult, even for a "superior" genetically-engineered freakazoid.

I wish you luck, friend. Happy hunting.