Empress of Mars: Undisputed @zebratron2084@awoo.space

Listening to the people on this panel, which has turned very political and "bubbly," is doing nothing to change my current view of the human race as six billion fingers stick in six billion novelty finger traps.

Can we please stop trying to solve our political and interpersonal problems by just substituting different demographic variables into the same goddamn prejudice formulae?

@JulieSqveakaroo *high fives and hugs* Go Team Sensitive! <3

Laurie Penny is on stage at a panel about dealing with criticism, saying (paraphrase) "the last thing a creative person needs is to develop a 'thick skin'" and I'm wondering where the hell people like her were when people were giving me the exact opposite advice on Livejournal 13 years ago. -_-

I wanted to start a standing ovation, because "just ignore them and pretend it doesn't hurt" is COMPLETELY SHITTY ADVICE and, frankly, you should feel terrible if you've ever dispensed it.

At least y'all can rest assured that if there's nothing but people like him waiting for me in the center, I won't be leaving the Queer Leftist Lounge any time soon.

Sure, I might be hiding on the roof waiting for the UFOs to come rescue me from the whole lot of you. But I certainly won't be leaving for these @ComfortablySmug-grade ninnies who think "being rational" means wielding a big spiked baseball bat with the word "RATIONAL" written on it. >_<

(You know, what the hell. Barf along with Aunt Rezy, and give him a cheek slap for me: https://twitter.com/ComfortablySmug )

I saw somebody on Twitter refer to himself as "#altcenter." 🙄​

Mostly I'm just pleased there's finally an English synonym for "Backpfeifengesicht."

(https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Backpfeifengesicht)

https://goo.gl/maps/WXQb87JvCGx

*oops, apparently there is no such thing as cartography humor, sorry about that!

I'm braced for Wes Warhammer from the Doom Factory to pop up at any moment, put his hand on my shoulder, and say, "You're the boss, applesauce." And then photograph me obsessively for five minutes. And then promise me Internet stardom. And then walk away and never acknowledge me again.

@Xinjinmeng@mastodon.social Hey, at this point, give me enough details about it to be able to say something pointedly snarky, and I'll ask it right in Jack's face. >:D

@Xinjinmeng@mastodon.social Is this gonna turn out to be a whole Soylent thing?

@001zlnv This is LA corporate "creative" culture. I get the impression that conning these people would be a bit like being the new guy trying to deal meth in Albuquerque. >_>;;

We even got one "Furry porn?! Well, count ME in! :D " drawn in as as somebody's addendum to Peg's story. That warmed my heart a whole bunch and we might have to try to track this miscreant down. <3 <3

On the other hand, their big kindergarteny "tell us YOUR story of creativilization!" wall turned out pretty good.

Peg and I both wrote extremely snarky, thematically honest things about our experiences there yesterday (mine involved spores and host devouring), and I walked away feeling so gloriously adolescent and subversive.

Today the wall was full of crazy stuff like ours, silly fantasy scenarios and frank admissions of being scared little artists who got here by accident. <3

I made it through the first speaker singing the praises of how wonderful Facebook is. I made it through him encouraging people to Always Be Promoting on their smartphones, even while having a conversation with your partner-- that was a real example. But when he started talking about "giving your customers that dopamine" burst, I got huffy and looked for a nice quiet place I could play Slay The Spire. >_<

Also, everybody here is super-young and it's super-depressing.

Sorry for the depressive post last night. I had a big old hairball of sadness to expel and I'm doing a lot better now.

Mostly just sitting here trying to untangle the weird, weird dreams I had last night. I think my brain is in a little bit of shock from being in LA and is trying to figure out it's new environs.

It was kind of neat, actually, but would be totally pointless to try to describe.

Well, that was a 100% Masto-related mood crash. I should really just put on some nice blinders, look straight ahead at the life awaiting me, and stop bothering to look back at the one that exploded. There are still people I care about here, but there are days when I can not get away from Seattle, this account, or this old phase of my life fast enough. The reminders are too painful. Retaining that vague futile hope somebody might still try to help me is too painful.

Hotel wireless is terrible so all I can really tell you for now is that this has all been a very surreal experience so far, and net time between walking into Patrecon and encountering a Real Live Nathan Barley was about 300-350 seconds.

@001zlnv Peg talked me out of doing the whole con with a bathrobe and a White Russian, sadly.

@001zlnv That sounds like work. ;'( I think I'm sticking with Plan A: laze around the hotel at these people's expense for three days, take long baths, and eat all the free food in sight. :)

Barely realized it was Halloween today. Too busy getting last-minute errands done before Patrecon. Feeling old, feeling ultra-mundane, feeling a tiny bit envious of the people who get to dress up and thin the boundaries between worlds this year. But it's sort of okay-- *my* masquerade starts tomorrow, in the Land of the Monetizers and Self-Promoters.